Legendary Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister was the living embodiment of rock and roll.
Exuding a personality as robust as his thunderous bass lines, his general demeanor was a unique blend of gritty authenticity and laid-back charm.
With a gravelly voice that mirrored his no-nonsense attitude, Lemmy’s magnetic charisma drew legions of fans into a world where rebellion and a love for loud music were the essence of life itself.
Never one to mince words or make excuses, if Lemmy ever stepped over the line he was more than willing to bear the consequences. At the same time, Kilmister was never one to suffer bullshit.
When he was kicked out of Hawkwind for almost missing a gig in order to hook up with a groupie in Chicago because she had crystal meth as well as getting arrested at the Canadian border for possessing speed, Lemmy got back at his former bandmates in the most rock & roll manner possible: He slept with all of their wives and girlfriends.
As recounted in an interview from Lemmy: The Definitive Biography by Mick Wall, Kilmister said: “I came home and fucked all their old ladies. I made sure of [bandmates] Simon King and Alan Powell’s first.”
“Alan Powell has still never forgiven me,” he continued. “And I hope he never will, cos there was a lot of malice involved, and I really meant every fucking minute of it.”
Hard as that story is, this behavior is par for the course when it comes to Lemmy. As a matter of fact, he was once kicked out of school for smacking his headmaster!
Having acted out, the young Kilmister had been sent to the office to receive some kind of corporal punishment. He was fine with taking his lumps, but requested not to be hit on his already-bandaged hand. When the headmaster did it anyway, Lemmy struck back
“I was born in Stoke in 1943,” he recalled in a 2011 interview with Louder Than War. “My father was a vicar and the way he behaved put me off religion for life. He ran off and left my mother and I didn’t see him for 25 years when he lived on the Isle Of Man.”
“He’d been kicked out of the church,” remembered Lemmy. “He was a creep with a bald head and glasses. I didn’t fancy him much. After he left us we moved to Anglesey which was difficult to say the least.”
He continued: “I was expelled from school when I was 14 for smacking the headmaster, I had been sent to his office for two strokes of the cane.”
“I said fair enough but not on my hand with the bandages,” said Lemmy. “So he hit my hand with the bandage on it and opened up the cut that was on it. The scar is still there now.”.